5 Card Stud Strategies Articles | Poker

By: Richard Bleuze

When playing in a game of 5 Card Stud, you should have a strategy to get "High Cards" and "Pairs".  You only want to play for "Straights" and 'Flushes' if you are on third street already and have three cards towards a straight flush or if you are certain you will be able to get a flush or straight on the fourth street.

When playing in a game of 5 Card Stud, one thing you need to pay close attention to how your opponents play.  Many players in a lot of different games have different things they do with the different hands, so the more you watch the more you will learn their little tell tail signs. Some people try to bluff which often can be picked up easily.

In the game of  5 Card Stud, there is only one face down card.  Thus, this makes it much easier than it is in most other poker games to trick your opponents and put them on edge, making them think you have a better hand than you really do.  Once again, watching and learning how your opponents play is important and also aids in the way that you play.  However, you need to be careful about the tell tail signs you are sending as well, since your opponents will be watching and learning how you play as well.

In addition, while playing 5 Card Stud, you need to be careful how you play in the first round as this will help determine how the rest of the game will follow.  Take for example, in the first street you wouldn't want to start without at least one card that beats the board or without a pair since this game is all about 'High Cards' and 'Pairs' as previously mentioned.  Thus, you would want to fold if in the first three cards dealt to you did not have at least a pair.  If you are beaten on the board, you really need to fold unless you have a good chance of beating the player with the best hand.

Just remember, when playing the game of 5 Card Stud that the good starting hands are - any pair, high pairs or low pairs.  Of course, the higher the card pair, the better your chances.  I would really suggest that think about folding if you did not receive triples in the third street.  This is called "Any Pair".  If both your cards are higher than the rest of your opponents - for example you have 8 and 9 and no one else's cards are higher than 7- this is called "Both Cards Higher than the Board".

If you have a King down and a five up, then you would beat the board if no one else had a up card that is higher than a Jack.  This is called "High Hole Card that Beats the Board with Any Up card". And finally, if your up card is an Ace, it is always a good hand and you can usually go past third street without needing a pair, with the right down card.  However, remember that although your face down card does not have to beat the board, it should be a high card.  This is called "High Up card that beats the board with High Card in Hole".

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